The Fall
by deluxie
Summary: Frostkit - your typical happy-go-lucky kit, born to a (supposedly) typical Iceclan family. The real question is, how much could a prophecy change a cat's life? Rated T just in case, and because I'm a terrible conformist.
1. Allegiances

Iceclan – Iceclan territory encompasses the north of the clan grounds. It is surrounded by a large, almost permanently frozen-over lake, and the territory has not been invaded since the early days of the clan. In spite of this, no Iceclan cat knows how to traverse this lake; instead, they travel around it, hunting the animals which roam around the forest. Surrounding the back of the lake (and clan) is a large, pine forest, where numerous birds such as woodpeckers and robins are often found. Rabbits and squirrels are frequently found roaming the snowy environment, although it is a job and a half to find white rabbits in the snow! The far side of the lake is covered by bushes, where small rodents occasionally hide. There is also a path to the twolegplace, hidden underneath them – an unsuspecting cat could easily fall down it.

The camp is neatly divided into several sections, and upkeep is a regular affair. Cats are sheltered not only by the evergreen forest looming over them, but the carefully constructed camp of ferns, logs and other resources. All facilities are centered around the meeting area, so that all cats will be able to hear the leader speak, no matter where they are. There is a small pond in the middle of. No cat has ever seen it dry out or become frozen over, and thus they dubbed it The Fountain of Life. It is frequently used as a crystal ball of sorts by cats across the clan – medicine cats do question the legitimacy of it, however. The leader calls the clan to sit around the fountain, but if they are not old enough or well enough they may sit at the edge of their dens. Iceclan is also known for encouraging resilience in its cats, even in the toughest of times.

Leader: Kitestar – a medium-sized pale orange tabby tom with striking yellow eyes

Deputy: Flurrywing – a plush-furred, somewhat small she-cat with large, fluffy paws and white fur with brown spots littered around her pelt, has faded hazel eyes

Medicine Cat: Sturdyleaf – a raggedy, dark brown tom with deep, wise green eyes and folded ears

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Ripplebeam – a thin-furred, lithe light grey tabby tom with a long, thick white streak going from his muzzle to the end of his belly and innocent blue eyes

Warriors:

Dustfoot – a dusty yellow tom with thin fur and warm green eyes

Deadeye – a tall, well-muscled black grey tom with several scars over his shoulders and an orange eye. One eye is covered with scars, and cannot be used to see.

Rattail – an ashy tom with a long, thin tail with furless patches and light green eyes  
 _mentoring Dragonpaw_

Horseburr – a tall, brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and thick fur, which is black at the tips  
 _mentoring Snakepaw_

Spottedheart – a small, pretty she-cat with tortoiseshell fur and friendly green eyes  
 _mentoring Honeypaw_

Pinestrike – a tall, brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentices:

Snakepaw – a grey tabby tom with cheerful yellow eyes and a very long, bushy tail

Honeypaw – a cute, golden tabby she-cat with thick fur, a white patch around her eye and green eyes

Dragonpaw – a large, strong tom with deep blue-grey fur and large claws

Queens:

Grassfoot – a light brown tabby she-cat with small paws and green eyes  
 _kits: Underkit, Jadekit, Leafkit_

Featherfern – a grey she-cat with one white misshapen ear and blue eyes  
 _kits: 4 kits, all yet to be named  
_  
Elders:

Lightstrike – a white tom with amber eyes

Mountainclan – Mountainclan encompasses the territory at the far southwest of the clan's grounds. Unlike most of the other clans, their territory is based almost entirely in the mountains – despite the perimeter of their borders being smaller, the mountains include far more territory and potential than any of the clans could dream of. As such, the clan is very, very secretive of their ways, and reveals as little as possible during gatherings.

The area around the mountain is where most of the cats living in the bottom layer do their hunting. Prey such as mice and hares are often found, although there is little variety. Clan meetings are also held on the outskirts of the mountain, on top of a large rock protruding from the ground. At midday, the sun hits the top of the rock, allowing the materials inside it to glow brightly. Thus, it was called "The Lightrock" Cats from Mountainclan do not fear eavesdroppers; the Lightrock is behind the mountain, and although the area supposedly belongs to no clan Mountainclan have claimed it under the guise of not having much territory in the first place.

Inside the mountain is where things begin to get interesting. The mountain is divided into several sections. The deeper into the mountain you go, the tougher things get. On the first layer is the nursery and elders' dens. A mini fresh-kill pile is occasionally out, but it's not uncommon for warriors and apprentices to simply bring fresh-kill directly to them, or take some from the fresh-kill pile to share with them. Elders and queens aren't allowed out of this area – but, that doesn't mean that in a disaster they would be left helpless. If there were to ever be a terrible catastrophe (such as a fire, flood, or earthquake) their area is heavily fortified, even where there aren't entrances, whereas on the other layers there is gradually less protection. Various animals still occasionally wander in, as they recognise this area as being more peaceful. Any prey caught in this area remains in this area. Animals typically tend to be caught in the area used for very sick cats, as it is left completely alone when not in use.

On the second layer is the medicine cats' and apprentice's dens. Here, the medicine cat is not too far from the elders and kits, and not too far from the warriors. However, the medicine cat's den is smaller than any other den, and herbs are rarely searched for, by apprentices or otherwise – herbs don't typically grow in mountains, and although they are strong and fearsome warriors, they are rather lacking in medicine cats.

On the third layer is the warriors' and the deputy's den. The air begins to become cooler, and it is more difficult to breathe. Although hunting still isn't typically done here, there are several exits to the mountainside, where birds frequently fly and nest.

On the fourth layer is an open space. This area is specifically designated for hunting. There is a tunnel, winding around each floor. It leads underground, where they can find moles and mice. It's rumoured that there are secret tunnels leading to each clan if one is willing to look for it, but no cat has owned up to this being true. There is also a completely open-air space on the fourth layer.

Finally, on the tip of the mountain is the leader's den. The leader sleeps in a partially covered den, at the tip of the mountain. It's very cold, and it often snows. They can keep a good surveillance on all clans from that point. If a cat wishes to meet with the leader, then they mustn't do it there.

Leader: Ashstar- a grey, thin-furred tom with strong hind legs and amber eyes

Deputy: Robincloud – a dark red tabby she-cat with a fluffy tail with white streaks going down it and green eyes

Medicine Cat: Streampool – a light grey tabby she-cat with hazel eyes and a white paw

Medicine Cat Apprentice: N/A

Warriors:

Smokebreeze – a light grey tom with deep brown eyes

Duskfur – a completely black, tall she-cat with striking emerald green eyes

Rowanfang – a black she-cat with greyish-blue eyes, white paws with a white ring around them and strong, sharp teeth which occasionally poke out of her jaw

Vinestrike – a brown tabby tom with hazel eyes and a short tail  
 _Apprentice, Acornpaw_

Berryheart – a round-faced, fluffy brown tabby she-cat with cheery lemon yellow eyes and a white belly

Bearclaw – a dark brown thin-furred tom with orange eyes, a torn ear and unusually large claws  
 _Apprentice, Adderpaw_

Pebblestripe – a white tom with a striking grey stripe starting from the back of his head to the tip of his tail

Apprentices:

Acornpaw – a small, slightly frail rusty tabby tom with soft green eyes and a white paw

Adderpaw – a tall completely white she-cat with green eyes and a long, thin winding tail

Queens:

Mistytuft – a strong blue-gray she-cat with white spots dappling her fur  
 _kits:_ _Bluekit, Fennelkit, Breezekit and Stormkit_

Elders:

Boulderface – a black tom with a greying muzzle and white spots on his face

Sandstrike – a pale yellow she-cat with weary blue eyes and a large muzzle

Lavenderclan

Named after the large fields of lavender growing beside the clan and the small tufts surrounding it, Lavenderclan is in the Northwest of the clan grounds, and is part of a very large forest (which includes Swampclan's territory). The weather varies wildly in the forest, although during newleaf it tends to be brighter and during leafbare it tends to be rainier. Storms are frequent, but not as frequent as it is in Swampclan.

In the far west is a small cave, where badgers and foxes often shelter. Predators favour this area, so Lavenderclan tends to be the largest clan of all in response. Towards the border between Mountainclan and Lavenderclan is a very, very large and diverse field of herbs. Prey is plentiful and there is large variety, such as voles, mice, rabbits and birds.

The camp is completely open-air, as the trees make the air humid enough for it to be comfortable to sleep in. They love to climb the tall oak trees. Camp is well guarded, however, and there are usually two warriors guarding camp at all times.

Leader: Fernstar – a tall light brown tabby she-cat with a scar across her muzzle, broad shoulders and light green eyes

Deputy: Nettlestrike – a fierce, brown tom with several white splotches across his body, many battle scars including a torn ear and an abnormally short tail

Medicine Cat: Birchtail – a brown tabby she-cat with large ears, a thin tail and a white back

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Rosepaw – a pinkish red she-cat with blue eyes

Warriors:

Duskclaw – a dark grey she-cat with piercing amber eyes  
 _Apprentice, Amberpaw_

Maplecloud – a tall, broad tom with green eyes, a tortoiseshell pelt and a fluffy white tail and also infertile  
 _Apprentice, Littlepaw_

Dappledpelt – a blue-grey tabby tom with thick fur and long legs  
 _Apprentice, Roughpaw_

Swiftstrike – a large, lithe white tom with unusual lilac eyes

Silvertalon – a light grey tabby tom with shining blue eyes and a fluffy tail  
 _Apprentice, Ivypaw_

Hawkspot – a golden-furred she-cat with strangely-shaped brown spots dotting her fur and a long, thin tail with a dark brown ring around the tip

Apprentices:

Littlepaw – a very small she-cat with green eyes, golden fur and a very fluffy white tail

Roughpaw – a large she-cat with very messy brown fur

Ivypaw – a pale grey tabby tom with deep blue eyes

Amberpaw – a lithe, golden-furred tom with white patches over his face and neck and striking amber eyes

Queens:

Berryheart – an orange furred she-cat with green eyes  
 _kits: Opalkit, Greykit, Moonkit, Jaykit_

Briartail – a grey she-cat with small white spots dotting her body and a practically non-existent tail  
 _kits: Robinkit, Treekit, Barkkit_

Hollyfur – a dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and thick fur  
 _Darkkit, Twigkit, Longkit_

Elders:

Grassnose – a light brown tabby tom with a greying muzzle and yellow eyes

Leopardpelt – a tall, sleek yellow she-cat with strangely shaped brown spots dotting her fur

Pinefur – a brown tom with warm amber eyes and several battle scars

Swampclan

This clan is in the south-east of the clan territories, and includes a large, murky lake which is popular with toads, frogs and fish alike. Various insects dot the lakeside during newleaf, and they are very fond with the kits. Rain is extremely frequent, and cats often celebrate when it doesn't rain for more than a night. Because of the rain, Swampclan cats have become incredibly resilient to illnesses, and often have more warriors than they know what to do with.

Cats here may also specialise in swimming or traversing and fighting in the muddy ground, although these warriors have no names. Camp is well-sheltered and is kept relatively dry, although it is smaller than most clan's camps.

Leader: Echostar – beautiful, lithe and white she-cat with three grey spots underneath and above each of her eyes

Deputy: Rosefur – reddish tom with a dark, cherry-red stripe down his back and a white patch on his muzzle

Medicine Cat: Ambermist – white tom with haunting amber eyes

Medicine Cat Apprentice: N/A

Warriors:

Spiderstrike – black tabby tom with green eyes  
 _Apprentice, Flamepaw_

Fireleap – bright orange tabby she-cat with incredibly long legs and small paws

Silverfall – pale grey tom with blue eyes  
 _Apprentice, Goldenpaw_

Clovershine – light brown tabby she-cat with happy green eyes

Nighttail – black tom with green eyes

Lightclaw – extremely fluffy pale yellow tabby she-cat with lemon-yellow eyes

Ivyfang – silver tom with large teeth and strong front legs

Heatherpool – small reddish she-cat with very soft fur and a bushy tail

Yellowpelt – dusty yellow tom with amber eyes and large ears

Robinwing – reddish tom with white stripes around his paws and green eyes

Lakefrost – silver she-cat with haunting blue eyes

Apprentices:

Goldenpaw – yellow tabby tom with green eyes

Flamepaw – bright orange tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Queens:

Lilyfeather – white she-cat with green eyes and small ears  
 _Kits: Flowerkit, Heatherkit, Poppykit, Littlekit_

Pearlstrike – muscular silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes and large teeth  
 _Kits: Silverkit, Dappledkit, Opalkit_

Elders:

Frogclaw – brown tom with grey eyes

Heavyleg – grey tom with large hind legs and green eyes


	2. Prologue

The icy winds of the forest rippled against the small ferns growing around the frozen lakeside. All was quiet, and eerily peaceful. Warriors trickled through the undergrowth, arriving back from their latest hunt. They carefully travelled around the long, winding lakeside. Very few arrived back with prey, and those that did looked weary beyond belief. Their sides were weak and thin. Some cats were growling.

"Morning, Pinestrike." A grey, tabby she-cat purred. She was on her way out of camp. Dew was dropping from the grass. Pinestrike looked down at her. "I suppose you didn't find anything much." She stated, looking at his prey. "No surprise, really – you've got Deadeye with you." He frowned.  
"What do you want, Ivyfeather?" he snarled.  
"I don't want anything – not from you, at least. I must be off now, anyway. Perhaps I'll bring back some prey." She purred once more. Pinestrike raised an eyebrow.  
"What else would you be doing?" he inquired, not taking back his aggressive tone.  
"Oh, you know," she smiled, with a twinkle in her eyes, "She-cat things. I can elaborate if you'd like." Pinestrike gained a horrified look, and tried desperately to end the conversation. Ivyfeather laughed, and waved her tail to jesture goodbye.

Pinestrike arrived back in camp, with a scrawny squirrel in his jaw. _Should I drop it in the fresh-kill pile, or bring it to the medicine cats? They do deserve an award._ He thought. He carried the squirrel further into the medicine cat den. Another cat, who he could not quite name, was with Ripplebeam. She had striking silver fur – although she wasn't the prettiest, in his opinion. The den smelled of herbs. He also picked up a soft scent of flowers. "Ripplebeam?" he mewed curiously. They both turned around in shock.

"P-pinestrike? Um, it's really nice of you to, uh, be here! Wh..." Ripplebeam stuttered, looking to the she-cat for advice. She looked devastated and ashamed. Pinestrike could put 2 and 2 together. The she-cat gave him a strong glare. "Don't you dare. Pinestrike, please. You don't understand!" Pinestrike frowned. "This is against the warrior code! I can't stand for this!" he growled, albeit keeping his voice down. Ripplebeam looked at him in shock. "Are we clan cats, or are we rogues?! Ripplebeam, I expected better from you. You know that you can't take a mate." He hissed.

"P-p... Pinestrike. Our love couldn't hurt anyone," He murmured, curling tails with the she-cat "Besides, it's not as if I'm being distracted from my d-duties. Sturdyleaf can take care of things on his own."  
"Sturdyleaf has enough things to worry about! Half of the clan hasn't eaten in days, how are we supposed to stay well without food?" he growled, raising his voice. Ripplebeam whimpered, while the she-cat prepared for a fight. "I've been working day and night, time and time again just so you two can have some illicit romance? Do you know what I call cats who can't obey the warrior code?"  
"What, reasonable cats?" the she-cat retorted, edging closer to Pinestrike.  
"No. I, and everyone else, call them traitors." He spat. "If you want to go be in love somewhere else, as rogues, then by all means be my guest. Otherwise, this has to stop."  
"You do NOT call me a-" the she-cat yowled, before Sturdyleaf walked in.

Sturdyleaf raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "What do we have here?" he asked, looking to his former apprentice. They both nodded understandingly. Pinestrike continued to growl towards the other cats. "Calm down, Pinestrike. This isn't worth it, you know. Let him be young." He smiled. Pinestrike grumbled to himself for a few seconds before regaining composure. Sturdyleaf had a strange way with words, and he couldn't bring himself to deny him. "It's not in the warrior code for no reason, though. Nepotism is one thing that comes to mind." Pinestrike glared at the couple. Ripplebeam just grinned sheepishly, more confident in the presence of his former mentor. The she-cat simply growled. Sturdyleaf gave him a sly look.

"If, indeed, the clan is in such hard times, then surely there are more important things to worry about?" Sturdyleaf pointed out. Pinestrike gave a low growl.  
"I'm not going to argue with you, Sturdyleaf. You're not the one I have a problem with." He retorted.  
"Good." he smiled. Pinestrike coughed.  
"Don't think that I'm just going to conveniently forget this, you two." Pinestrike growled. "Anyway... you can have this. Share it between you." Pinestrike half-heartedly dropped the squirrel on the ground, and walked away.

Sturdyleaf watched him walk away from the medicine cat den. He chuckled slightly to himself, although Ripplebeam still looked concerned. The she-cat huffed loudly as soon as Pinestrike was out of sight. "Honestly! He's so stuck in his ways, that Pinestrike – what does he care what we do with our lives?" she grumbled. Ripplebeam brushed his tail over his mate's nose, in an attempt to calm her. She growled for a bit, and swatted his tail out of the way. He laughed, and they began play-fighting. _They're still young, and innocent,_ he thought to himself _so they still know how to make the best of a bad situation._

 _I wish I could be like them._


	3. Chapter 1

Deep in the freezing-cold forest, there was a litter of kits, asleep in their mother's warm embrace. Few shuffled in their sleep, and they suckled on their mother desperately. The queen's den was still, yet not eerie. Frost dappled the walls like poison ivy growing on a log, and mist filled the freezing air. The moon shone through a small gap in the camp's ceiling. One small, pale grey kit mewed pitifully. The rest of her littermates did not stir. Her mother, Featherfern, smiled weakly. "What do you need, little one?" The kit looked up at her, padded around on her paws for a few seconds, and rubbed her pelt into her mother's sleepily. Featherfern sighed in bittersweet happiness and sadness. She covered the kit with her tail, and continued to sleep.

Slowly, but surely, the sun began to rise. Her mate Dustfoot padded into the den carefully, as he didn't wish to disturb the kits. He sat down next to her, and brushed his pelt against hers. "Are you alright?" he purred, trying to warm her up. Although the sun was rising, the frost remained. She sighed, and smiled at him weakly. "Of course I'm alright, Dustfoot. I couldn't be happier." she replied. Dustfoot raised an eyebrow, and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright," he said, looking concerned, "If you say so." He twined his tail with hers, and she did the same. Despite his efforts, she still looked somewhat sad.

"Featherfern, what's wrong? You seem worried." He murmured, edging closer to her.  
"Honestly, Dustfoot, nothing's wrong. I'm alright." she replied, unmoving.  
"The kits are beautiful," he complimented, "What should we name them?" Featherfern shrugged.  
"Maybe we could call this one Strawkit." she gestured to the small, pale yellow kit in front of her.  
"That sounds nice." Dustfoot said, smiling. An ashy tom stomped into the den, tail waving angrily. One of the kits stirred, and made a loud mewl. He walked over to Dustfoot, and growled in his ear.

"Dustfoot. You were supposed to be up early for a patrol!" he hissed. "Come with me, you can't sit around in the nursery all day. You're not even the one taking care of the kits, anyhow." Dustfoot sighed in annoyance.  
"I'm really sorry, Featherfern. I promise, I'll come back for the kits when I'm not busy. Rattail, is this really necessary? My kits were only born a few days ago!" he retorted.  
"Dustfoot, if you stay with your kits any longer then soon you won't have kits!" Rattail grumbled.  
"Excuse me?" Dustfoot growled, glaring at him. "What are you going to do with our kits?" Rattail rolled his eyes.  
"They'll starve. Haven't you realised that we're running out of prey? More kits means more mouths to feed, which means more hunting patrols. Get a move on." Rattail replied. Dustfoot sighed again, and got up. "Again, I really am sorry, Featherfern. He has a point." he said. Featherfern looked sad, and waved her tail anxiously. "You'll be back, right?" she asked.  
"Of course." Dustfoot replied. The two toms made their way out of the nursery.

Featherfern nuzzled Strawkit affectionately. She was sure that he would open his eyes sooner than the others; or, at least she hoped so. While tending to her kits, she noticed a splash of light grey in the entrance to the queens' dens. "Ripplebeam?" she called, hoping he would hear. Soon, he came rushing in, herbs in jaw. He dropped them in front of Featherfern clumsily, and she laughed in response. "W-what's up?" he asked, looking around. Grassfoot, the other Iceclan queen, seemed to be preoccupied. "Are the kits... hurt?" he worried, examining them carefully. "Please d-don't tell me they're hurt!" Featherfern chuckled in amusement.

"No, the kits aren't hurt or ill. I just wanted to see you, you worrywart." She laughed. He lowered himself and gave her an affectionate lick on the muzzle. "How are they doing, anyway? Have you given them n-names yet?" he wondered, looking at the litter in faux-contemplation.  
"Only one of them," she replied somewhat happily, gesturing to Strawkit, "Dustfoot named him." Ripplebeam flinched at his name. "Dustfoot? Why Dustfoot?" he asked, confused. Featherfern looked around, and frowned. "I guess I didn't tell you, then?" she replied.  
"Don't answer a question with a question." He huffed. Featherfern chuckled in response.

"He..." Featherfern pondered different ways to word what she was about to say. If she told Ripplebeam that she had been cheating on Dustfoot with him, he would surely be devastated and worried for Dustfoot. However, she couldn't just lie to him – she loved him too much to do that. So, she compromised. "He agreed to pretend to be my mate, to keep your cover. It's convincing, I know." Ripplebeam looked sad.  
"I still don't understand why we couldn't just have kits and be done with it. You could have t-told me, too!" he replied.  
"We'd both be exiled and be forced to live like rogues." she replied bitterly. Ripplebeam sniffled quietly.  
"Don't remind me. That'd probably be better than living like a bunch of no-good liars, anyhow." he grumbled. Featherfern smiled.  
"Don't worry, I've thought about it before. Iceclan is our clan, and I'm always going to be loyal to it – I was born and raised here." She replied.

Ripplebeam sat quietly with Featherfern for a few minutes. "You know what I think that one should be called?" he mumbled, gesturing to the darkish grey tabby kit.  
"What?" Featherfern asked sleepily.  
"Moonkit. Her pelt is the colour of the moon." he smiled.  
"You think so? I think Silverkit would be more suitable." She purred.  
"Yeah, but that might be kind of disrespectful to Silverpelt." he replied, worried.  
"Alright, if you say so. Her name is Moonkit." Featherfern declared. Grassfoot, the other queen, began to stir.  
"Featherfern, I'll see you later. I can't stay any longer." he sighed.  
"Goodbye, Ripplebeam." she murmured wistfully, "I love you." And so, she fell asleep.

Eventually, one of the kits opened its eyes. She was a grey she-cat, with dark grey patches over her eyes and a light patch around her jaw. The kit looked around curiously, and eventually bounded up to her mother joyfully. "Wow," she said, grinning, "This place is really cool!"  
"Both figuratively and literally, I suppose. Come closer, dear. You shouldn't be so excited, you could catch a cold." Featherfern purred. She looked up at her curiously.  
"What's your name?" she asked. Featherfern chuckled.  
"What's my name? I'm Featherfern, your mother." Featherfern smiled.  
"That's a really pretty name! What's my name? What's a mother?" the kit asked excitedly.  
"Your name..." Featherfern looked at the frost dappling the den walls, "Your name is Frostkit." she purred, cleaning Frostkit's fur. "A mother is someone who cares for you deeply, and someone who you will never live without. I am your mother, because you are my child."  
"That's a cool name!" she mewed. "Can we play?" Frostkit asked.  
"Perhaps later. Why don't you go play with Grassfoot's litter? They look old enough to me." Featherfern said, gently nudging Frostkit in her direction.  
"Sounds fun! Okay, mum! See you later!" she replied, bounding off to play with Grassfoot's litter.

After several hours, the other kits opened their eyes, one by one. Featherfern began to grow worried, as Moonkit seemed to be refusing to open her eyes, and didn't open hers until a few hours after the rest of them had. She refused to give one of her kits, a pale yellow tom his name. Featherfern desperately wanted Ripplebeam to name her last kit, despite having named one already. No other cat was more important to her.

She watched her kits play mossball carefully. Strawkit's dusty yellow pelt blended into the wooden camp. Featherfern concluded that this was why he couldn't catch the mossball very well – after all, he was taller than Featherfern or Dustfoot had ever been when they were kits, and was still very eager to play along. She pondered his potential future to herself quietly. With that kind of raw determination, he had great potential to lead the clan, and perhaps even become deputy? Featherfern decided that was what she most wanted to see in her son – a high position. She was confident in her ability to recognise potential in cats; after all, when Flurrywing was merely Flurrypaw, she encouraged her to become deputy, in spite of her meek nature and size. Perhaps she didn't do it in the kindest manner, but in the long run she was happier. Nothing stood in the way of her making Dustfoot the future deputy, so why shouldn't she?

Featherfern purred quietly to herself. Something in the back of her mind told her that she should let him be a kit while he still has the chance to, but she ignored it outright. She trusted her own judgement, and that was all she needed. She heard someone padding anxiously into the queen's den, and recognised it to be Ripplebeam. Grassfoot stared at him judgementally. "This is medicine c-cat business!" he huffed, trying to be angry. Grassfoot wasn't amused, and continued to watch over her kits. He walked over to her, fidgeting with his claws. "What's wrong?" she asked, frowning.  
"I'll tell you in the evening, people might get the wrong idea." he replied. Featherfern gave him a knowing look.

"Earlier today, not long after I saw-"Featherfern gave him a warning glare, and he caught himself, "Not long after I saw to one of the apprentices, I received a vision. It was sudden, and it caught me off guard. I think you should k-know about it, it's... I mean, I think it's referring to one of your kits."  
"Well, what was it? What was the vision?" Featherfern asked calmly, keeping an eye on her kits. She privately hoped it would be about Strawkit.  
"You know your grey kit with the patches on its eyes? I saw her in it. She was represented by a kind of... abstract mass, jumping around playfully with another lighter one. They were somehow distinct, and yet incomprehensible. Then, the light one began to fade away. The other one was doing- was doing something, I couldn't really make out what it was – and then it all went dark." he retold. Featherfern opened her eyes wide in shock.  
"Frostkit? Are you sure?" she gasped, looking at the bumbling kit playing with Grassfoot's litter. "What does it mean? Have you figured it out yet? Please don't tell me my kit is going to be a murderer, Ripplebeam. You can't- you can't have just magically figured that out!" she almost shouted desperately. Some of the kits looked over to her curiously, and others shied away in fright.

Ripplebeam looked taken aback. "I- I'm sorry Featherfern! I never- I never said any of that, I've only been an actual medicine cat for a few moons now!" he retorted, eyes watering, "Maybe... maybe I c-can't always be- can't always have everything figured out. I-" he clearly wanted to continue, but stopped himself. Featherfern wanted to comfort him, but couldn't. It would raise suspicion. She took in a deep breath. "Ripplebeam, I..." She tried to form a sentence, but words failed her.  
"I'm sorry. I- I've been l-looking for Sturdyleaf for ages now- I've looked all around camp, and then in the territory, and then I did that twice over, but I can't find him! These past few hours have been really stressful for me, and nobody un- nobody else could help me right now." he said, trying to fight back tears.

A tall, well-muscled tom walked into the queen's den. He sniffed around, attempting to find the cause of the noise. The scarred half of his faced turned to the kits playing, and they hid behind Grassfoot. He walked over to Ripplebeam, and stood by him. His face was weary, and he looked sad – uncharacteristic, for such a strong and silent figure of the clan. "D-de-deadeye, I didn't mean to cause any... I didn't mean t-t-to cause trouble, I'll be..." Ripplebeam looked afraid, trying to save himself.  
"Ripplebeam, I'd advise against making more of a fool of yourself." He stood still, glaring down at Ripplebeam. His eyes ran briefly down Featherfern and her kits. His ear flicked slightly when he caught sight of Moonkit. "These are desolate times. You must come with me, lest you never know the truth." Ripplebeam held back a laugh at the use of 'lest', but he still looked afraid.  
"O-of course, Deadeye." he stuttered in reply. They both left the medicine cat den.

After a few hours, Featherfern grew anxious, waiting for Ripplebeam to return. She couldn't possibly tell where he had gone; and with Deadeye, one of the strongest and most ferocious cats of the clan? Frostkit and Moonkit padded up to her. Frostkit curled up next to her to comfort her, while Moonkit sat and watched. "Mum, are you okay?" Frostkit asked, looking concerned. Featherfern attempted to smile.  
"I'm okay, Frostkit." she purred unsteadily, nuzzling Frostkit. Moonkit watched, but made no movement. "There wasn't any need to stop playing, you know."  
"Underkit wasn't playing fair." she huffed in mock-annoyance. "Strawkit was being super silly about the whole thing. He stood by Underkit for no reason!"  
"I'm sure that must have hurt." Featherfern chuckled. She looked over to Moonkit. "What about you, Moonkit? Why did you stop playing?" she asked. Moonkit didn't reply, but only stared. Featherfern grew increasingly unsettled. In spite of Frostkit's warm and fuzzy company, she was worried about Ripplebeam.

Suddenly, Ripplebeam came running in. "F-f-featherfern!" he cried. "Come- come with me, there's something I really need to tell you!" he said, ushering her out of the queens' den.  
"My kits!" she replied desperately.  
"They may sleep with me tonight." Grassfoot smiled, watching the two. "It seems like you've got yourself quite the mess, Featherfern." she purred in possible amusement.  
"Hmph. Keep your mouth shut, Grassfoot, before I do it for you." She hissed.  
"This is desperate, Featherfern! Y-you've got to come with me!" he cried again, finally getting her to the medicine cat's den.

Inside the den were several neatly laid out herbs, arranged in order of strength. Featherfern looked around in awe – no matter how many times she went in, the medicine cat den still struck her as quite the miracle. Featherfern gave the air a polite sniff. It smelled strange, as if someone wasn't meant to be there. She was much less in awe when her eyes fell upon Deadeye, Kitestar and Flurrywing, sitting in the den together. There were also several unidentified cats. Flurrywing gave her a polite smile. "If this is so urgent, why did you first tell the medicine cat apprentice, and why did you bring some random queen?" Kitestar asked, although there was little malice in his voice. "Kitestar, be _patient_." Flurrywing purred. It was astonishing to see how far she'd come.

"It's-it's a complicated story, maybe- m-maybe Deadeye can tell it better." he stuttered, looking over to Deadeye desperately. He shook his head. "He needs to learn to cope on his own." Deadeye stated. No cat in the room, not even Kitestar, questioned him. "Well, um, alright." Ripplebeam mumbled. He shook his pelt, tried to puff out his chest, and raised his voice.

"Kitestar, Flurrywing, Featherfern. I thought you should all know this. K-kitestar and Flurrywing, you're both really good at keeping track of the clan, and stuff," he began, looking anxious to see the others' faces, "Featherfern, you're... you're really important to me, and... yeah. Anyway, I should probably actually start telling it to you, right? I'm really bad at this, o-oh no..." he faltered. No cat made a move, but Kitestar began to look impatient. Flurrywing looked at him.

"I know that- that nobody has seen Sturdyleaf at all today. There's a good reason- a good reason for that." Ripplebeam began, "Sturdyleaf is dead." Shock fell on every cat's face, especially on Kitestar's.  
"No." Kitestar whispered, looking down to the floor.  
"I know." Ripplebeam replied, tears rolling down his cheeks, "Deadeye- h- he came to fetch me a few hours ago – but it feels like for-forever ago now. We travelled to the cliffs on the outskirts of the c-clan borders, where Mountainclan's territory ends and the unclaimed mountains start. Then, we saw Sturdyleaf and a she-cat, both with tons of tiny kits surrounding them. They were- they were mewling so desperately, and I just cried." Ripplebeam paused, waiting for everyone to finish processing the information.

"I won't tell you everything- I want- I want to honour Sturdyleaf's memory in every single way that I can. Sturdyleaf... he'd been seeing a cat up in the mountains. I couldn't make out her scent, it was raining heavily, but I think- I think she was a rogue. Deadeye was the only cat he shared this with, because- because he trusted him, better than," Ripplebeam sobbed loudly, "b-better than he trusted me, his... his apprentice. I... I don't understand!" he cried. The cats let him sit there for a few minutes. Featherfern wished she could just run up to him and comfort him. It was affecting him more than she expected it to. Soon, he continued.

"So, that was the reason he always- he always wanted to gather herbs after gatherings. He was just seeing this she-cat. Deadeye told me- he told me, after Sturdyleaf had died, that he had been planning on having kits with the rogue for some moons now. In his words, he was... he had been growing older, and he wanted to carry on his legacy before he grew ill. He loved the she-cat so much, that eventually- eventually he couldn't take it. The kits- he thought his kits were going to die, that they were going to catch a terrible chill, or that a fox would take them like it almost took her. Sturdyleaf was so grief-struck, he- he threw himself off the cliff before we could talk him out of it. We brought th- the rogue back and her kits- but she's dying, and the kits aren't doing much better." He finished.

Kitestar looked at Ripplebeam, and around the room. He let one tear loose, and tried to regain composure. He walked over to the rogue and her kits. "Is this all you can do for them?" he asked grimly, not looking at Ripplebeam.  
"Kitestar, I'm trying. How can I- I can't do as well as I normally can, my mentor is dead!" Ripplebeam cried. He waited for Sturdyleaf to glare at him, but no such glare came. Ripplebeam sobbed loudly. Kitestar looked at him sorrowfully. "I know it's hard. I watched Sturdyleaf grow and be shaped as a medicine cat- he was named Sturdyleaf under me, and I can't believe he's gone either." Kitestar sat next to him. "But, like a true medicine cat, you must continue with your duties, just as he would have. The sun will still rise in the morning, and with sunrise comes a new opportunity."

Ripplebeam sniffed, and looked Kitestar directly in the eye. "You sound- you s-sound just like him when you say that." he sobbed. Eventually, Featherfern couldn't take it. She rushed over to Ripplebeam, and let him cry into her chest for a few minutes. She gave him comforting murmurs as he cried. Kitestar watched the two somewhat curiously, but chose not to act on his curiosity.  
"I know. It will be hard. But, like everything, it shall pass." he replied. "Perhaps you could take this opportunity to honour him. Sturdyleaf would want his kits and mate to be alive and happy, no matter where he is, just like..." Kitestar paused. Ripplebeam gave him a pleading look.  
"You're... you're right. I'll t-try my best, but I'll... what if- what if they don't survive?" he worried, looking at the weak rogue and her litter.

"Then you will have tried your best, and the sun will continue to rise. Sturdyleaf knew that you would never do him wrong." he replied, giving him a reassuring smile.  
"It feels like I didn't know him at all, though! He knew all sorts of things a-about me, I told him- I told him my deepest, darkest secrets, but Deadeye told me so, so many things that I didn't know about him! What am I supposed to do?" he sobbed.  
"You're not supposed to do anything. You pick your own path, Ripplebeam."  
"Stop talking like that!" Ripplebeam shouted.  
"Ripplebeam, I trust you. Let's save these kits." Kitestar encouraged. Ripplebeam looked down, and began sifting through his herbs.

"Feverfew should help the kits; they'll gulp it up right away. They're so starved; the queen has little milk because she's so thin and sickly. Thyme should help the she-cat, if she wakes up." Ripplebeam mumbled, throwing herbs around. Flurrywing, Kitestar and Deadeye began to follow his directions. "We'll need a queen to feed the kits so that they don't starve. Maybe you could also give them a mix of catmint and lavender, just to be sure – I mean, I'm never sure."  
"It's lucky that you brought a queen along with you." Deadeye replied. Featherfern got up, sat by the kits and allowed them to feed off her milk. They gulped up whatever was given to them quickly and easily. The kits almost reminded her of her litter when they were younger. "We should probably also give the rogue some food."

After almost an hour of rushing around, trying to find suitable fresh-kill for the rogue once she woke up, they could finally rest. It was almost midnight. "Ripplebeam, I have something to tell you. At sunhigh tomorrow, I will inform the clan of Sturdyleaf's death. In any case, I cannot rest. I am going to sit by his body. If anyone who has no duties wishes to join me, then they may." Kitestar stood up. Deadeye and Flurrywing both followed him out of camp.

Eventually, the rogue woke up. She looked around confusedly, and began hacking loudly. "Miss..." Ripplebeam began, looking sad and confused. "My..." she coughed, "My name is Honey... where... where am..." she hacked again and again, struggling to finish her sentence.  
"Please, don't try to- to talk. It's going to be okay, your kits are all safe." he reassured.  
"D... don't lie... to me. I know I'm going... I'm going to die..." she sputtered.  
"Honey, you're not going to die. Please. Take some poppy seeds, they help ease the pain." he nudged them towards her.  
"I can't eat." her eyes began to close, and her pulse quickened. She was struggling to stay alive.  
"Please!" Ripplebeam cried desperately.  
"Sturdyleaf and I are going to be together again." She hacked, and then subsequently died.

"No!" he cried. "I can't... I..." he sobbed.  
"Ripplebeam, it's not your fault. She was beyond your help." Featherfern reassured. Ripplebeam sobbed, and lied down next to her. The rogue's kits continued to feed on her, and some grew tired. Featherfern twined her tail with Ripplebeam's, and they slept next to each other for the first time in moons.


End file.
